Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  Does a staff member sit on your "Friends of" board of directors?

    Posted 02-24-2022 11:07 AM
    We've traditionally had a staff member sit formally on our 'Friends of' board, but for the last few years this has not been the case. We've recently reopened the discussion as to whether this is a beneficial practice or not and I'm wondering what other shelters are doing in this regard.  In what ways has it been beneficial to have a staff member represented formally on the board? Have there been any cons in your experience? 

    Thanks in advance for your feedback!
    #CommunityPartnerships*
    #FundraisingandDevelopment
    #OrganizationalManagement
    #PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

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    Marissa Johnston
    Harris County Pets
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  • 2.  RE: Does a staff member sit on your "Friends of" board of directors?

    Posted 02-24-2022 11:21 AM
    Marissa,

     Thank you for your post.  I think that is a great idea. I think that it is vitally important to always have the input of the people who are actually doing the work.  I feel that the viewpoint from a staff member would help shed light on how things actually work.  I also think this can have it's cons if the right staff member is not chosen. I ultimately feel like hearing from the staff has it's benefits.

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    Marissa Reid
    Clinic Director
    LifeLine Animal Project

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    Access To Care Specialist
    Clinic Management Specialist
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  • 3.  RE: Does a staff member sit on your "Friends of" board of directors?

    Posted 02-25-2022 08:18 AM
    Hi Marissa,

    Prior to COVID, we had our whole management team sit in on every monthly board meeting (4 staff members, 5 including out CEO). Being one of those staff members in the meetings, I always felt it was very important and also helpful to be present. We are very lucky to have an incredibly supportive board, so they always valued our input, comments and questions. Right now all meetings are via zoom and management is not in those meetings at the moment. I'm not sure what our transition will be in the future, but speaking to what we used to do, I felt there was a lot of value in having staff present and our input welcomed. 

    Thanks,

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    Erin Ellis
    Community Engagement Director
    Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe

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    Foster Program & Volunteer Management Specialist
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